Farming families report more than 2,500 crimes in first half of last year
The body said these figures, based on its analysis of CSO data, represented a “considerable underreporting” of the real level of rural crime.
IFA president Eddie Downey said the statistics included:
- 1,720 instances of farm machinery theft;
- 218 cases of vehicle theft;
- 48 cases of cattle rustling;
- 280 burglaries of farm houses.
Mr Downey told the Oireachtas Justice Committee that there was “real anxiety” within the farming community and rural areas in general.
“I stress that these are reported figures and we do believe that there is considerable underreporting of rural crime, in particular the theft of machinery, fuels and other items from farmyards and lesser break-ins to the family home,” he said.
Mr Downey said there had been an increase in theft of agricultural machinery and livestock, prompting the offer of a €10,000 IFA reward in relation to the latter in conjunction with Crimestoppers and the gardaí.
He said cattle theft could be “financially devastating” for farmers, as it could “wipe out” their income.
He said the reward fund was a bid to try and identify how gangs were moving and disposing of cattle, pointing out that criminals would need to have a high level of knowledge.
Mr Downey said it also posed a threat to the industry, which prized its “full tracability” system.
IFA treasurer Jer Bergin, who has responsibility for rural crime within the organisation, said farmers were the “eyes and ears of the countryside”.
But he said the IFA didn’t want farmers and their families to be prisoners in their own homes.
“The solution to this is not security and everyone locking themselves in and removing the sense of community and looking after neighbours,” he said.
He said the response involved a combination of legislative responses, including appropriate sentences for repeat offenders, and developing various community systems, such as Text Alert.
“That’s the way forward — not turning Ireland into a prison camp,” he told members of the committee, which is holding hearings on rural crime.
Colin Connolly, who has been appointed to the recently created position of Rural Crime Prevention Executive within the IFA, said they had developed the Theft Stop crime prevention system with the gardaí.
He said it piloted in Donegal and Tipperary last year, based on a pool of over 350 farmers.
The system is aimed at detering criminals and recovering stolen items by ensuring machinery and other equipment is clearly marked with a unique ID. These details are then registered on Theft Stop’s nationwide database.
“No item marked has been stolen,” said Mr Connolly, “that’s the strength of the system”.
He said while the facility is available nationwide, they were rolling it out gradually on a county by county basis, with a launch in Laois two nights ago.
Mr Connolly said that while it was initially aimed at farm machinery theft, he could see no reason why it couldn’t be expanded.
Mr Downey added that the IFA were still looking for increased policing hours and the presence of mobile Garda units in rural areas.
At a previous hearing on rural crime, the Justice Committee heard calls for the State to target the finances, properties and vehicles of criminals as part of a “more imaginative” response to combating crime.
Muintir na Tíre said this meant more than just imprisoning criminals and included electronic tagging of offenders, curfews, travel restrictions and community service.
The Justice Committee is seeking submissions from the public on electronic tagging and curfews.
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